Legal page 564 of 565

The Federal Court has stayed a $300,000 Federal Magistrates Court penalties and backpay order against a call centre, while imposing a conditional security payment, acknowledging the employer's chances of a successful appeal are "not strong".

A prison officer has failed to win reinstatement after being summarily dismissed for impersonating a co-worker by sending an email from the colleague's account to his entire department, inviting other "homosexuals" to contact him.

The Fair Work Commission has said it will renew entry permits for six CFMEU construction and general division organisers who have all been involved in contraventions of industrial laws in the last five years, but has asked for declarations that they have not committed any further indiscretions since their applications were lodged.

The ALAEA says FWA has cleared the way for it to pursue its bid to change its rules to cover a new category of unlicensed aircraft maintenance engineers at Qantas, after a full bench today rejected an application for orders to stop it representing the workers.

Fair Work Building and Construction chief executive Leigh Johns has challenged those who say the inspectorate should have intervened in the Grocon Supreme Court proceedings to identify the powers it could have relied upon, while the main players are about to head back for more talks with FWA President, Justice Iain Ross.

Grocon Constructors has shown the Victorian Supreme Court graphic footage of CFMEU protesters pushing back police horses in Melbourne's CBD this morning in its successful bid to extend a ban on union officials coming within 50 metres of the Emporium site.

Queensland's Newman Government has passed legislation to void public sector agreement clauses that provide for job security and regulate contracting-out, give greater scope for lawyers to appear in the State IRC and remove administrative duties from Commission President David Hall.

A tribunal has ordered a man to pay $8000 in compensation to an assembly line worker for sexually harassing him over a period of four months, but their employer escaped liability because it had taken sufficient steps to comply with its policies.

A Qantas flight attendant's bad language and agitated behaviour provided grounds for her dismissal, but it might have been different if the conduct had occurred on a building site, FWA has found. 


The ACTU has called on the panel reviewing the Fair Work Act to discard submissions from peak employer bodies, on the basis that they have failed to address the terms of reference and are seeking to reinstate features of Work Choices. Meanwhile, BHP Billiton has urged the panel to throw out union proposals to specifically allow entry to lunchrooms and to recognise the legitimacy of pattern bargaining.